The penultimate act of the United Rugby Championship will take place tomorrow and the two semi-finals are on the program which will decide the two teams that will compete for the URC throne. There will be two Irish teams, one Scottish and one South African, competing for access to the last act. Will it be a derby in the final, or will the Warriors and Bulls spoil the party?
No surprises so far, with the best four of the regular season winning their respective quarter-finals and continue their quest for the title. It must be said that last weekend not everything went according to plan for the four teams, with Munster, Leinster and Glasgow Warriors clearly imposing themselves, while the Bulls struggled more than they should have to get the better of Benetton Treviso.
The Bulls will be the first to take to the field at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria, where they host the Irish Leinster. If it is true that the South Africans ended the regular season in second place and have the field factor on their side, it is equally true that looking at the entire season it is the Dubliners who have convinced the most, giving up points and places only at the end of the regular season season, busy with the Champions Cup final. It is therefore difficult to find a favourite, even if perhaps Leinster has a better chance.
Next we move to Cork, to Thomond Park, where Munster – first after the regular season – hosts the Glasgow Warriors. Also in this case, a very balanced semi-final is expected, with the Red Army having grown exponentially, climbing up the rankings, after a difficult start to the season. More constant, however, are the Scots who have the experience and quality to conquer the Cork pitch and reach the final.
